Speakers & Microphones

Consumers worldwide may not be able to get enough of the latest electronic devices, but these gadgets have to sound as good as they look if they are to capture a significant share of the global market.

Nobody knows this better than seasoned Hong Kong manufacturers like Hong Kong-based AL Goodwell Industries Ltd, which is providing speakers that make it easier for mobile phone users to communicate.

AL Goodwell has been making acoustic equipment since 1986 and is constantly enhancing the performance of the Mylar speakers it supplies to handset makers on the Chinese mainland. "Mostly they need speakers that provide louder sound output," explains marketing officer Chris Leung.

The company's super-slim Mylar speakers are used as earpieces in mobile phones and have a number of other applications in toys and electronic products.

"The telecoms industry usually sources 10-20mm diameter speakers," Leung says, adding that products for other applications range up to approximately 60mm in diameter.

AL Goodwell's 11mm, 8-ohm speaker, which has a plastic frame and radial cone, and the metal-covered 8-ohm, 15mm model are popular with mobile phone manufacturers.

Leung says AL Goodwell has been working hard to produce Mylar speakers that have a fuller sound. "Our clients want a better performance in certain frequencies, like the bass and middle range," he reveals.

The ISO 9001-certified firm, which has been producing Mylar speakers for 10 years, manufactures at a 15,000-square-metre facility in Shenzhen in southern Guangdong Province on the mainland.

Speakers carrying the AL brand are exported to the UK, Italy, Russia, Portugal, India, Korea, Japan and the US in minimum quantities of 10,000 units delivered 30-45 days after order confirmation.

Leung believes there are plenty of market opportunities for Mylar products. "The telecoms business is developing fast and many people want to update their handset models," he notes.

Also supplying components for mobile phones is Union Team Ltd, which was established in 1987 and now produces one million condenser microphones a month at its 20,000-square-metre plant in Shenzhen.

They are used in a wide variety of applications, including LCD monitors, explains marketing officer Jenny Lam. "Our smaller condenser omni- directional, low-impedance microphones are the models most suitable for handsets," she adds. "Both of them have a sensitivity reduction of -3dB at 1.5V."

The ISO 9001-certified firm exports speakers, microphones, buzzers, earphones and karaoke microphones carrying its U.T.L. brand to Europe, the US and various Asian markets. "Our minimum order is 10,000 units, which is delivered 21 days after order confirmation," Lam adds.

Similarly focused on meeting customer demands is Woodtai Enterprises Ltd, which sends its engineers on a two month, fact-finding mission each year.

"They travel the world learning about the latest trends, because it is vital that we keep abreast of developments overseas," marketing officer Jackey Dai maintains.

Woodtai manufactures a variety of acoustic products such as 12mm-40mm speakers under various brand names, including Tol Thomson, Irradio, WKK, Gnresound and Gnnetcom.

The ISO 9001-certified firm, which manufactures at mainland factories in Xiamen and Dongguan, delivers minimum orders of 10,000 units to Europe and the mainland 30 days after confirmation.

The ISO 9002-certified company has a 5,000-square-metre factory in Shenzhen that can produce 10 million speakers a month carrying its GSM brand name.

The minimum order quantity is 500 units, which can be delivered to markets in Hong Kong, the mainland, Taiwan and Japan 20-30 days after order confirmation.

Meanwhile, other local companies such as Shi Ja Zhong Electronic Acoustic Fty Ltd have built their reputation on the belief that flexibility is just as important as innovation.

"We source a wide range of components for our car speakers, adapting the product range to serve different customer requirements," explains managing director Wilson Lee. "It's All about providing what the customer wants."

The 15-year-old firm's top quality car speakers, which sell for approximately US$10 FOB Hong Kong a set, have been beefed up with the best materials. "We use more metal in the magnets, more copper on the voice coil and high quality plastic," Lee claims.

The firm's 6x9-Inch speakers are available in up to 100 different designs, including four-way SJS-V6943 and SJA-6980, six-way SJA-6990 and eight- way SJA-6998, all of which have IMPP cones.

Shi Ja Zhong, which has its own Sound Xtreme label, exports minimum orders of 2,000 pairs of speakers to Europe and the Middle East 25-30 days after order confirmation.

Its success is typical of the Hong Kong speaker and microphone manufacturing sector, which sounds like it will be pumping up the orders and boosting sales volumes for many years to come.

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